News Releases

GEORGETOWN, Guyana; Friday, October 9, 2026: The Governments of Jamaica and Guyana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in tourism and hospitality, deepening the longstanding diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries, and creating new opportunities for strategic partnerships, investment and sustainable tourism development. The agreement was signed by Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, and Guyana’s Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Hon. Susan Rodrigues, during the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026, held in Georgetown, Guyana. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Permanent Secretary in Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, Ms. Jennifer Griffith; Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Mr. Kamrul Baksh; and Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Ms. Dona Regis-Prosper. The MOU represents another significant milestone in Jamaica’s continued efforts to strengthen regional tourism integration, expand strategic partnerships and advance cooperation among Caribbean destinations.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, October 6, 2026: The Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), an arm of the Ministry of Tourism, is taking steps to prepare Jamaica’s tourism and hospitality sector for the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI). With Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett positing that the Ministry’s new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda is about the inevitable role that AI now plays in the growth of the tourism industry, the JCTI recently hosted an all-day Hospitality & Tourism AI Workshop at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. The JCTI is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), a public body of the Ministry of Tourism. In his keynote address, Minister Bartlett said the workshop was structured “to look more closely at our role in building new ideas, new structures, new ways of enabling tourism to happen better and for its retentive capacity to be more accentuated.

Minister to Advance Regional Logistics Hub, Tourism Resilience Fund and Future-Ready Tourism Agenda KINGSTON, Jamaica; Monday, October 5, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departed the island yesterday for Georgetown, Guyana, where he will join Caribbean tourism leaders, policymakers and industry stakeholders for the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026, being held from October 5 to 9. Minister Bartlett is expected to use the regional gathering to advance Jamaica’s push for a more resilient, integrated and economically inclusive Caribbean tourism sector, with particular focus on strengthening the region’s supply side and retaining a greater share of tourism earnings within the Caribbean. As Chair of the CTO’s high-level committee on the regional tourism supply strategy, Minister Bartlett will present an update to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, October 6, on the Committee’s work and progress towards improving the regional tourism supply chain.

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica; Monday, October 5, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has underscored that while embracing technology is an imperative, there is no need to fear artificial intelligence (AI) overtaking labour in the tourism industry. The message was delivered to members of Tourism Action Clubs (TACs) from secondary and tertiary institutions attending a Tourism AI Youth Forum at the Sandals Dunns River resort recently. The forum formed part of activities to mark Tourism Awareness Week 2026, which was observed from September 27 to October 3, under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.” There are some 57 TACs across the island with numerous participants indicating a desire to work in tourism. Minister Bartlett provided an overview on the successes of Jamaica’s tourism industry, technology, workforce training, resilience, digitisation and entrepreneurship.

Thanksgiving Church Service Kickstarts Tourism Awareness Week 2026 MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, September 28, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has stressed that artificial intelligence and other digital technology are being used to strategically transform Jamaica’s tourism sector. This as the Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies and industry stakeholders, joined global partners in marking the annual UN-Tourism backed World Tourism Day (WTD), with a thanksgiving church service yesterday (September 27). The service also officially kick-started Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2026, being observed from September 27 to October 3, under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” in keeping with the theme selected by UN Tourism for WTD. In a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, Minister Bartlett said the ministry was “actively leveraging AI and digital technology to modernise the sector through key initiatives such as real-time concierges, deploying multilingual digital concierges, and structured content to optimise visitor bookings, as well as predictive analytics.”

Tourism Minister Travels to Geneva to Co-Chair Beyond Tourism Forum and Engage Global Leaders KINGSTON, Jamaica; Thursday, September 24, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has departed the island for Geneva, Switzerland, where he will represent Jamaica at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and co-chair the Beyond Tourism Day Forum on September 25. The engagement places Jamaica at the centre of high-level international discussions on the future of tourism, including its role in economic resilience, investment, innovation and inclusive development. The WEF’s Beyond Tourism initiative advocates for a more integrated approach to tourism, recognising the interconnection between people and skills, finance, infrastructure, technology and innovation, and policy and governance. Minister Bartlett said Jamaica’s participation represents an important recognition of the country’s influence in shaping global tourism thinking, particularly in tourism and human capital development.